Denver-based indie rock band Mainland Break have returned with their first instance of new music for 2025; a double A-side encasing tracks 'I Give In' and 'Endlessly'.
Long-time fans of the Australian indie music scene, after embarking upon their first trip down under in early 2024, Mainland Break find inspiration and influence from an array of Aussie acts.Their personal brand of gritty yet melancholic indie rock has drawn comparisons to the likes of Floodlights, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and RVG.
"'I Give In' is about experiencing warring emotions and feeling unable to change the process or eventual outcome. It's about taking the path of least resistance and losing an internal struggle," the band says.
"The wave crashes over you, but also propels you. You love, but you hold yourself back from loving. Tension builds, but tension fades. You're emotionally nimble, but emotionally shackled. You feel mobile, but you are stuck."
The bewitching new release was produced and engineered by Mark Anderson (Sylvan Esso), mixed by Joey Oaxaca (White Reaper, twen, Mamalarky), and mastered by Nick Townsend (Cheap Trick, Weezer).
The second of the singles, 'Endlessly', was inspired by the concept that all individuals die twice; once in the corporeal sense, and again when that person's name is spoken aloud for the final time. "This idea clumsily opens the door for a multitude of other deaths that I now feel the need to generate and contemplate," the band says.
"What about the last time someone looks at a photograph of me? Or the last time someone looks at a photograph I took? Or the last time a telemarketer updates their list upon realising someone else now owns my old phone number?"
Turning the tables now to show some love for some homegrown talent on their side of the world, Mainland Break have picked five fellow Colorado-based acts they would love to see Aussies get around.
Tennis
A longstanding indie pop band from Denver that ranges from chill beachy tunes to synthy songs to soundtrack a city night. Check out 'Origins'.
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Denver's roots-rock pride and joy. . . they call Denver home when they're not touring nationally and internationally. Check out 'Heartless'. [Ed's note: I thoroughly concur with MB after seeing The Night Sweats at 2023 Bluesfest.]Read our review of their 2025 Brisbane concert supporting City and Colour.
